[MSN] An illegal shipment of six ancient religious statues seized by customs officers at the Heathrow airport last year handed over to Indian High Commissioner Kamalesh Sharma.

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India gets back antique statues seized in Britain 
Posted by admin on 2006/12/14 8:56:46  

London, Dec 14 (IANS) An illegal shipment of six ancient religious statues
seized by customs officers at the Heathrow airport last year were handed
over to Indian High Commissioner Kamalesh Sharma here Thursday.

The antique statues of Bihar origin were handed over by John Healey,
financial secretary to the treasury. Sharma and director of the Nehru
Centre, Monika Kapil Mohta, received them on behalf of the Archaeological
Survey of India (ASI).

The statues were with the British Museum for safekeeping after they were
confiscated in August 2005. Ancient Indian statues command a high price in
the western antiques market.

Experts at the British Museum have confirmed that the statues, which depict
both Hindu and Buddhist deities, date back to between the 7th and 11th
centuries AD.

Healey said: "I am pleased to announce the return of these historical
statues to the Indian people. The government fully recognises the importance
of historical artefacts to our shared cultural heritage and takes its role
in enforcing international agreements and prohibitions designed to preserve
our historic environment very seriously.

"The international trade in illicit cultural artefacts is a significant
problem, and is increasingly being linked to other forms of organised crime.
Where ancient sites are plundered for short-term gain, this results both in
the loss of heritage items to indigenous peoples, and irreparable damage to
archaeological sites."

The statues are estimated to be worth 3,000-5,000 pounds each and include a
seventh century AD figure of a mother goddess, possibly Indrani; two tenth
century figures of Buddha; a tenth century figure of a Hindu goddess,
probably Durga; an eleventh century figure of Agni; and an eleventh century
standing figure of a temple-goer.

Michael Willis, curator of the 'ancient Indian and Himalayan collections',
said: "The British Museum has worked with HM Revenue and Customs for over 35
years on investigations into illegally imported antiquities. This is a vital
relationship in the fight against the illicit trade in antiquities."

The statues, which weighed 172 kg and were seized on Aug 14, 2005, were
initially detained on suspicion that they were smuggled antiquities. Once
confirmed as such, they were officially seized and left at the British
Museum on deposit.

The Nehru Centre, the cultural wing of the Indian High Commission in London,
will send the statues to India.

--By Prasun Sonwalkar
 
http://www.teluguportal.net/